UMS Concert Program, : S F Jazz Collective --

SFJAZZ
COLLECTIVE
2008TOUR
OFFICIAL PROGRAM BOOK
SFJAZZ
COLLECTIVE
JOE LOVANO DAVE DOUGLAS STEFON HARRIS MIGUEL ZEN6N ROBIN EUBANKS RENEE ROSNES MATT PENMAN ERIC HARLAND
Tenor Saxophone
Trumpet
Vibraphone
Alto Saxophone
Trombone
Piano
Bass
Drums
REPERTOIRE
The Collective's set list changes nightly. This evening's selections will be announced from the stage.
THE MUSIC OF WAYNE SHORTER ARMAGEDDON (1964), arranged by Miguel Zenon AUNG SAN SUU KYI (1997), arranged by Dave Douglas BLACK NILE (1964), arranged by Robin Eubanks DIANA (1974), arranged by Renee Rosnes FOOTPRINTS (1966), arranged by Renee Rosnes EL GAUCHO (1966), arranged by Matt Penman GO (1967), arranged by Stefon Harris INFANT EYES (1964), arranged by Joe Lovano YES OR NO (1964), arranged by Eric Harland
ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS THE ANGEL'S SHARE, Matt Penman AURORA BOREALIS, Renee Rosnes FRONTLINE, Miguel Zenon ROAD TO DHARMA, Stefon Harris SECRETS OF THE CODE, Dave Douglas THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER, Joe Lovano THE YEAR 2008, Eric Harland BREAKTHROUGH, Robin Eubanks
THE CONCEPT
GIVEN THE EXTRAORDINARY TALENT ASSEMBLED IN THE SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE--eight of the most accomplished and acclaimed performercomposers in jazz today--it is tempting, on first glance, to think of this ensemble as an "allstar band," pure and simple. But as the "Collective" portion of the group's name suggests, these exceptional artists have come together in pursuit of a larger purpose--namely, the celebration of jazz not only as a great art form, but as a constantly evolving, everrelevant, quintessential modern art form. In The New York Times' emphatic words: "Modernity is the mantra of the SFJAZZ Collective."
"MODERNITY IS THE MANTRA OF THE SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE."
THIS CONCEPTION OFTHE MUSIC
is shared by SFJAZZ, the San Franciscobased nonprofit institution that is the group's namesake and producer. The idea for the Collective arose from turnofthemillennium discussions between SFJAZZ's founder and executive director, Randall Kline, and saxophonist and founding Collective member Joshua Redman. While deeply respectful of jazz's origins and early traditions, SFJAZZ, as a con?cert presenter (of the internationally renowned San Francisco Jazz Festival, among other yearround programs), was concerned that the modern side of jazz, from roughly the mid20thcentury to the present day, was often overlooked in the public eye in com?parison with the music of jazz's socalled "Golden Age." Both Kline and Redman were eager to showcase, in a manner that would resonate with jazz aficionados and newcomers alike, the artistic continuum from modern
masters like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Herbie Hancock to today's new generation of touring and recording artists.
And so, with an inaugural lineup of modern jazz luminaries and the institutional support of SFJAZZ, the SFJAZZ Collective was unveiled in 2004, with an approach that was (and is) unique in the jazz world. For mul?tiple weeks each year, eight of the most indemand artists in jazz would set aside their numerous other highprofile projects and devote all their time and energy to the Collective. The group would annually divide its repertoire between new works written by and for the Collective's members (and commissioned by SF?JAZZ) and new octet arrangements of compositions by a modern jazz master--to date, Ornette Coleman (2004), John Coltrane (2005), Herbie Hancock (2006), Thelonious Monk
(2007), and now Wayne Shorter The ensemble would be an octet, enjoying both the flexibility of a small group and some of the expanded palette of a big band. In keeping with the "Collective" name, the group's mem?bers would take tums sharing the spot?light as "leader" from song to song. And crucially, in order to give this work its full artistic due, the group would rehearse its annual repertoire in a multiweek San Francisco residency before going on tour--a rare opportunity
in today's jazz world, and one that would arguably be impossible without institutional backing. During the resi?dency, in the interest of jazz's ongoing development, theCollectivemembers would also mentor promising young musicians, including the 20strong SFJAZZ High School AllStars ensemble.
THE SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE WAS UNVEILED IN 2004, WITH AN APPROACH THAT WAS (AND IS) UNIQUE IN THE JAZZ WORLD
THE ENSEMBLE
THE COLLECTIVE IS DISTINGUISHED NOT JUST BY DEGREE, BUT DIVERSITY OF TALENT: each member is not only a celebrated instrumentalist, but also an outstanding com?poser and arranger, and most are among today's most lauded band leaders. The Collective's current lineup also strikes a perfect balance among founding members, other multiyear veterans, and exciting newcomers.
THE FRONT LINE OF HORNS in?cludes two past DownBeat "Artist of the Year" honorees, saxophonist JOE LOVANO and trumpeter DAVE DOUGLAS, both members since 2007; threetime DownBeat "1 Rising Star Alto Saxophonist" and founding member MIGUEL ZENON; and 2008 newcomertrombonist ROB?IN EUBANKS, a twotime DownBeat "Trombonist of the Year." On vibra?phone since 2007, STEFON HARRIS has earned top DownBeat "Rising Star" honors on his instrument and is widely considered the finest vibist of his generation. The incendiary Collec?tive rhythm section boasts founding member and acclaimed Blue Note recording artist RENEE ROSNES on piano plus two fouryear Collective veterans: bassist MATT PENMAN, one of the most indemand sidemen on the international scene; and drummer ERIC HARLAND, famed for
his work with Charles Lloyd, McCoy Tyner, and other jazz legends.
Now in its fifth season, the Col lective has become one of the leading ensembles on today's international jazz scene, appearing in prestigious concert halls and festivals throughout the U.S. and in Europe and Asia, earning "1 Rising Star Jazz Group" honors in DownBeat's 2006 Critics Poll, and placing high in 2007's yearend "best albums" lists from the likes of National Public Radio (3 album) and JazzTimes (14). To date, the group has released four limitededition CD sets documenting its complete annual repertoire in concert plus a newly released concert DVD recorded at 2007's Jazz a Vienne festi?val in France (all available exclusively from sfjazz.org), plus two concert highlights discs in wide distribution on the Nonesuch label.
"WHAT'S SPECIAL IS THE PROGRESSIVE REPERTOIRE THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO CHAMPION"
THE REPERTOIRE
AS VARIETY APTLY WROTE: "WE KNOW THEY CAN PLAY--THAT'S A GIVEN. What's special is the progressive repertoire they have chosen to champion." Divided roughly in half between original compositions and new arrangements of works by a modern jazz master--with each Collective member contributing one of each--this repertoire, entirely new each season, offers a unique window on jazz's recent history and on its wealth of presentday expressions.
AS IN PAST SEASONS, the Collective's original compositions for 2008 highlight the state of the art in jazz composition, exploring new, often extended ap?proaches to song form and reveling in the rhythmic, harmonic, and textural possibilities of the octet. The song titles themselves suggest the variety of inspi?ration at work, from the hints of mystery in Stefon Harris' "Road to Dharma" and Dave Douglas' "Secrets of the Code" to the more forthright "This, That and the Other" from Joe Lovano and "The Year 2008" by Eric Harland.
Artistic breadth also infuses the bal?ance of the 2008 repertoire--the music of saxophonist and composer extraordinaire Wayne Shorter. In the words of fellow jazz legend Herbie Hancock: "Wayne Shorter has evolved as a human being to a point where he can synthesize all the history of jazz into a very special, very alive musical expression." Shorter has made a pro?found impact on that history over the past halfcentury, from his late'50s days with Horace Silver and Art Blakey and his classic 1960s roles as a band?leader and a pivotal member of Miles Davis' second great quintet, through
his 70s excursions with fusion pio?neers Weather Report and up to his presentday work with his celebrated new acoustic quartet. The Collective cover an expansive range of Shorter's oeuvre, from signature '60s pieces like "Footprints" and "Infant Eyes" to 1974's "Diana" and 1997's "Aung San Suu Kyi," Shorter's tribute to the Bur?mese Nobel Peace Prizewinner.
"I consider [Shorter] one of my most important musical influences," says pianist Rosnes. "In 1988,1 was a mem?ber of his band and that experience changed me forever. Through his music, he taught me about courage, passion, vulnerability, and freedom. Virtually all of Wayne's compositions are inherently full of these qualities."
"As has been the case with all the composers we've worked on with the band," alto saxophonist Zenon notes, "the biggest challenge is to try keep the spirit of the original versions of the compositions, while at the same time reflecting the personality of the Collective. I really feel we get better and better at doing this every time we get together."
: Quoted in Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter by Michelle Mercer
SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHIES
JOE LOVANO TENOR SAXOPHONE
Grammywinning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano stands alone at the vanguard of large and small group jazz. From his recent work with Gunther Schuller, Streams of Ex?pression, to his role as Gary Burton Chair of Jazz Performance at Berklee College of Music, the Cleveland native fearlessly challenges and pushes the conceptual and thematic choices he makes in a quest for new modes of artistic expression and new takes on what defines the jazz idiom. He has released 18 celebrated al?bums on the Blue Note label, including 2007's Grammynominated Kids, a duet disc with pianist Hank Jones.
DAVE DOUGLAS TRUMPET
Twotime Grammynominated trumpeter Dave Douglas has earned national and international acclaim, including trumpeter, composer, and jazz "Artist of the Year" by such organizations as the New York Jazz Awards, DownBeat, JazzTimes, and Jazziz. His solo recording career began in 1993 with Parallel World and he has since released twentytwo CDs. In 2005 he launched his own label, Greenleaf Music. He was also honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship that same year. His current release, Moonshine, showcases his group Keystone taking a new step in the synthesis of electronic music and jazz.
STEFON HARRIS VIBRAPHONE
Stefon Harris is committed to exploring the rich potential of jazz composition and blazing new trails on the vibraphone. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Harris has received numerous accolades including the Jazz Journalists Association's "Best Mallet Player" for four years running (20002003) and "1 Rising Star Vibraphonist" in the 2006 DownBeat Critics Poll. His string of Grammynominated albums for Blue Note includes Kindred, Black Action Figure, and The Grand Unification Theory. His latest album is 2006's African Tarantella: Dances With Duke.
MIGUEL ZENON ALTO SAXOPHONE
A Native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenon got his start at the famed Escuela Libre de Musica and later studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Since his move to New York he has worked with Charlie Haden, David Sanchez, Guillermo Klein, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, and Steve Coleman, among others. Zenon has re?leased three CDs as a leader: Looking Forward (Fresh Sound New Talent) and two discs on the Marsalis Music label, Ceremonial and Jlbaro. His fourth CD, Awake (also on Marsalis Music) will be released in April 2008.
SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHIES (CONTINUED)
ROBIN EUBANKS TROMBONE
A fivetime "Trombonist of the Year" in the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll, Robin Eubanks is one of the foremost trombonists at work today. In addition to leading his own groups, EB3 and Mental Images, Eubanks has done Grammywinning work with Dave Holland and Michael Brecker, and has collaborated with music legends Art Blakey, Sun Ra, and the Rolling Stones. The native Philadelphian is also an acclaimed composer and recipient of prestigious grants from Chamber Music America and ASCAP, as well as numerous commissions from fellow musicians. He has taught jazz trombone for ten years at Ohio's prestigious Oberlin College.
RENEE ROSNES PIANO
Canadian pianist and composer Renee Rosnes has had a remarkable career that has earned her significant international recognition. Shortly after relocating from Vancouver to New York in 1986, she quickly established her reputation as one of the major pianists of her generation. She toured and recorded as a member of the bands of Joe Henderson, J.J. Johnson, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Buster Williams and James Moody among others. As a leader, Ms. Rosnes has released a series of eleven critically acclaimed recordings, which have gar?nered four Juno Awards, six Canadian National Jazz Awards and a 2003 SOCAN Composer of the Year award.
MATT PENMAN BASS
Originally from New Zealand, Matt Penman studied at Boston's Berklee College of Music before relocating to New York in 1995. In addi?tion to releasing his own critically acclaimed CDs as a leader, Catch of the Day (2007) and The Unquiet (2002), he has recorded as a sideman on some 70 other discs and has performed with the likes of Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gary Bartz, Kenny Werner, Nnenna Freelon, Madeleine Peyroux, Brian Blade, Mark Turner, and Guillermo Klein.
ERIC HARLAND DRUMS
A leading drummer on the national scene, Texasborn Eric Harland has performed with jazz legends like Betty Carter, Joe Henderson, and McCoy Tyner, and has played on more than 35 recordings with such artists as Ter?ence Blanchard, Greg Osby, Charles Lloyd, and Stefon Harris. In DownBeat's 65th Annual Readers Poll, he was included in the short list of top drummers, in the company of masters like Roy Haynes and the late Elvin Jones.
SFJAZZ
COLLECTIVE
2008TOUR
Newmark Theater, PortlandJazz Festival, Portland, Oregon
KLIMAT Entertainment Center, BielskoBiala, Poland
Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria
Bimhuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Casa da Musica, Porto, Portugal
CentralStation Kulturbetriebsgesellschaft, Darmstadt, Germany
Carolina Performing Arts, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, Georgia
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, New York
Berklee Performance Center, Berklee College of Music,
Boston, Massachusetts
South Orange Performing Arts Center, South Orange,
New Jersey
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, Michigan State
University, East Lansing, Michigan
UMS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Chicago Symphony Center, Chicago, Illinois
Zellerbach Hall, CalPerformances, University of California,
Berkeley, California
Grand Theatre Center for Center for the Arts, Tracy, California
Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara, California
Royce Hall, UCLA Live!, University of California,
Los Angeles, California
National Hispanic Center, Outpost Productions,
Albuquerque, New Mexico
The SFJAZZ Collective will tour Europe in summer 2008. Schedule is subject to change.
FEBRUARY 15
FEBRUARY 22
FEBRUARY 23
FEBRUARY 2425
FEBRUARY 26
FEBRUARY 27
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MARCH 11
MARCH 12
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MARCH 14
MARCH 15
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MARCH 20
MARCH 21
MARCH 22
SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE PRODUCTION
PRODUCER: RANDALL KLINETOUR MANAGER AND SOUND ENGINEER: BILL WINN ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR: LAURA EVANS AGENT: INTER?NATIONAL MUSIC NETWORK, IMNWORLD.COM PROGRAM NOTES: ROB TOCALINO AND MATTHEW CAMPBELL
THE SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY THE JAMES IRVINE FOUNDATION, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, HERB ALPERT FOUNDATION, AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY AND THE MEMBERS OF SFJAZZ.